The purpose of this blog is to foster communication and relationships between current students and alumni. We welcome blog submissions from all alumni. Please email your entry to goettlm@uwec.edu. The first blog post contains the blog template. We look forward to hearing from you!

What helped you decide what route to take after graduation and/or in
your career path (i.e. graduate school or type of job)? I was very
torn after school on whether to continue on for my Master's degree or enter
into the work force. As an older student I ultimately decided to get a job
after graduation. I applied for a Lidar/Photogrammetry Technician
position (and got it) after an extensive job search following graduation.
I didnt really have that much of a choice on where to work or what career path
I wanted to pursue, as my main priority was to simply find a decent job.
I would encourage students who are younger however, to continue on to graduate
school as I think it will ultimately open more doors and increase your ability
to get a decent paying job.

What do you think gave you to edge to get your
current position? I got an edge in a number of ways. First, be an
engaged and hard working student. Forge relationships with your
professors. Doing so will create solid references for prospective employers or
graduate school. In addition, build those relationships with your professors
through student faculty research, then present it at student research day, AAG
or WLIA (among other organizations). This will give you a big leg up on
your competition.

Secondly, when you do get that interview, be engaged and
come prepared. Know what the company does, who they are and what some of
their past projects have been. Come prepared to answer questions about
past projects that you have done and what your strengths (and weaknesses) are
as a person. Come with questions to ask about the company. And
above all, be enthusiastic, engaged and interested about the position.
Ask questions and dont be silent.

Describe your typical day at work: I spend most of my day
either doing stereo compilation (digitizing in 3D) or Lidar processing
(cleaning raw data, preparing for delivery to client)

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Hopefully still at Ayres
or pursuing a Masters Degree

What advice can you give to those who are still in
school? If you have the drive and motivation, go to graduate school.
The job market right now is highly competitive especially for entry level
jobs. Having a masters will not only get you into a more specialized and
higher-level position, but it will also hopefully allow you to make more
money. Its a wise investment if you enjoy doing research and are a
focused student.

Most of what you will do in the real world after you
graduate will not be anything like what you did in school (especially
capstone). So if you like research and analysis, the masters degree is the sure
fire way to make sure you can get a good research/analysis type job after
school (as opposed to something less interesting).